Ted, it be anywhere well below -15 to -27 degrees C
In the past when not able to get to indoor track I have used treadmill on occasion and/or bike/concept2 rower just to get the specific energy system work in. Not the same as feet hitting the ground though.
Not sure if it belongs here, But there are claims that lactate does NOT cause muscular fatigue.
The story can be gound here: scientific research document
any thoughts?
Who said it causes fatigue? 
What’s the date of this article? I didn’t notice…
Nik,
its an article from: Journal Of The International Society of Swimming Coaching March 2012, Vol 2, Issue 2
KK just recently discussed on another blog, that researchers in Australia have come to the conclusion that it is better to do no cooldown after hard speed endurance sessions. This is new info. I wonder if he could go into a bit more detail on this site.
Link to result or blog?
Yes, please post a link to the blog…
speedendurance. article about last 100 of a 400 race
No link because he saw it in a dream…
I looked at this article, and didn’t see any mention of cool-down. Everything in the article “How To Improve Your Last 100m” is covered in extensive detail in the Lactate Threshold thread / ebook.
Did you read part 2?
I just returned from France where I was able to spend a day observing PJ with one of his athletes sessions. He also said the same thing about cool down. Maybe he will have time to comment more. It was along the lines of allowing natural adaptation occur and the slow cool down has an opposite effect as a speed session and could reduce adaptations.
However, there are times when a cool down might be needed to speed up recovery, such as at a championships with multiple rounds over several days, then do it.
After PJ mentioned it, I said my athletes don’t cool down either, but it is because we are getting kicked off the track or I have to go pickup my kids before daycare closes and I just tell the kids to go home.
My sprinters don’t cool down in training, and rarely at meets. My distance group cools down after every race.
Is this is the same for others? (Or am I the lone guy who does all range of track events? )
You are a bit tough.
Part 2 read the comments part where mike adds a few tidbits.
This is a common thing in the uk for some time, I remember an old session similar to Charlie’s depletion press ups but with light squats and in between sets you would sit cross legged on the floor
Killer!!!
This is interesting information, and it’s something I have heard before from my Pfaff-influenced former coach down in Texas. I haven’t seen the study that Mike is referring to, but I question whether a cool-down of perhaps 4x60 or so can actually be that detrimental. Do they also want you to skip stretching and just pack it in after a hard lactate session? This is all very unclear.
I wonder what the controls were in the article? Was the cooldown they compared against full of a bunch of slogging, e.g. a mile of jogging? If it was the cooldown highly dissimilar to the workout itself I can see their point.
When a cooldown consists of 4x60 and long hold stretches I can’t see it being that detrimental, but hey, I haven’t seen the study yet.
Are there any athletes performing and what level. Too many studies not enough work getting done.
I’ll try to dig up the study…
I’ve heard some well known coaches don’t see the value in the cool-down. It’s been said that it makes no difference an hour after the session if you have cooled down or not. I think it’s important to indicate, too, when this is for-between track work and weights or after everything is done or what exactly and what is specifically being indicated as a cool-down, a jog, the stretch, both or what exactly? Some have indicated doing some med ball throws like Boo Schexnayder and/or easy skipping/side shuffle, backpedal etc. to re-coordinate the body after all of the major training components are completed.
I will say that on a speed/weights day, I feel it’s important to elevate the heart rate/increase the sweating somewhat after the weights just for the purpose of being able to get a decent static stretch routine in even though the fibers are certainly not as pliable on those days as on tempo days.
I never stretched much until my warm up progressively went along. Most of my stretching happened over time with in the training session as I got hotter moved to doing the higher intensity work.
Someone asked the other day what we used to do between runs when the speed started to happen? Routinely between runs when our breaks were 4 minutes or more I would stretch and then laid down and shook my legs until the time was up to run again. As the speed session progressed so did the stretching. I always jogged down but never more than one lap or we did shaking of 200 meters not much more. There is no way I was going to get a massage or treatment if I did not properly warm down and do anything or everything in my power to facilitate muscle recovery. Even if the requirement was a tiny jog that took 5 minutes … the belief was it mattered and it helped.
I guess I feel an easy jog or something somewhat relaxed makes a ton of sense to begin the needed process of getting the muscles to restore circulation after great amounts of work. Just as the progressive warm up opposed to a forced warm up which I see all too often. The body does not respond terribly well to abrupt anything short or long term. Some people have great tolerance to bad training and some do not. I guess my view of performance is longer term as well and I am not looking at one moment of time but hope to be always performing because I took good care of my muscles.